


Error: No Optical Units Detected

by DeviantXen



Series: Hank and Connor - Life after the Revolution [6]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Blind!Connor, Blindness, Connor is bad at reading social cues, Fluff and Angst, Gavin is a Wanker, Gen, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank Anderson Swears, Hank Being Awesome, Hurt/Comfort, Poor Connor, Protective Hank Anderson, Worried Hank Anderson, nothing unusual there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 05:30:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15527127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeviantXen/pseuds/DeviantXen
Summary: Connor makes an attempt to alleviate the tension between him and Gavin. Only, it ends badly. Really badly. Connor soon finds himself dumped in an unknown location. With his optical units missing - leaving him totally blind and afraid, he does the first thing he can think of. He calls Hank for help.





	Error: No Optical Units Detected

**Author's Note:**

> Hey it's been a while guys. I've had this one in the bag for a while. Finally uploading it.

“You stole my case, asshole.” Gavin spat, slamming his hands down on Connor’s desk. The android casually looked up from his terminal, having expected such a juvenile response from the man.   
  
“Detective Reed, I did not _steal_ your case as you so put. I just happened to find vital evidence that you, apparently, failed to notice yourself.” Connor said. It wasn’t his fault that Gavin hadn’t done his job properly in the first place. The killer would have never been identified if left to him. Connor’s only intention was to make sure that man went behind bars.   
  
“Listen here you little shit, I’ve fucking had it with you and all these other motherfucking androids.” Gavin growled, jamming a finger into Connor’s shoulder. Ever since ‘Detective-Fuckin-Anderson’ had come to the office a few weeks ago, he had been center-of-fucking-attention, being praised from every goddamn angle. Every time the bastard so much as fixed his damn tie the whole station had to fucking applaud. Gotta set a good example they’d say. Bullshit is what it was.   
  
“That’s enough, Reed.” Hank warned from the desk opposite.   
  
“Looks like your fuckin’ dad is here to rescue you again, dipshit.” Gavin said, backing off. He didn’t like Hank. But Hank was both human and his superior. “You’re lucky.”   
  
“What a prick.” The Lieutenant commented as Gavin disappeared into the breakroom to get himself a coffee and hopefully, cool off.   
  
“Humans can be so… _difficult_ at times.” Connor said, deliberating. “Or maybe my programming is faulty. I’m supposed to be able to adapt to any social situation and improve upon it, and yet he still hates me.” He supposed his own behavior hadn’t helped in the matter. Most of the time he tried to be civil and polite, completely professional. But sometimes he couldn’t help himself from goading the man. Gavin just really got under his synthetic skin.   
  
“You’re not faulty Connor, he’s just an ass-wipe, plain and simple.” Hank replied. There wasn’t much to be done about people who never grew out of the high school jock mind-frame. Some people were just jerks. It was a fact of life.   
  
“I suppose. It’s just the added challenge is quite the nuisance.” Connor let out a simulated sigh. The idea of Gavin hating him forever wasn’t a particularly agreeable thought. Maybe he could try a new approach? To try and build some kind of bridge? Perhaps he could give Gavin the odd compliment? The man did have his qualities, behind all that belligerence. Or maybe he should start simple with an apology, for stealing his case. Yes. That sounded like a good idea.   
  


* * *

  
“You know it was clocking out time like half an hour ago, right, Connor?” Hank said, looming over the android. He’d already stayed overtime himself, to finish off some shitty paperwork that he’d _forgotten_ to do last week. Fowler had caught on, so he had no choice but to finally complete the task now.   
  
“I am aware of the time, Lieutenant. I just thought I’d stay a while longer. You don’t have to wait for me, I can find my own way home.” Connor said. Nearly everyone in the office had left, eager to leave when their shift had come to an end.   
  
“If ya say so, kid.” Hank said, slipping on his jacket. “Just don’t come home too late, or I might order pizza for dinner. Extra pepperoni and everything.”   
  
“Well, I can’t have that Lieutenant.” Connor cracked a grin. He had found out that he quite enjoyed cooking for the man, making sure he ate healthier. Hank had been reluctant at first about giving up his usual nightly take-outs, but on the whole had taken quite well to the new change in regime. Sometimes he’d get excited when Connor would try out new recipes. Occasionally he’d even help out with the prep-work. “I’ll be home in about an hour, I promise.”   
  
“Alright. See ya then. Have fun with whatever shit you plan on doing.” Hank gave him a quick wave before he headed out. Now it was just the two of them. Connor and Gavin. The android had concluded that he had to do this alone, without Hank here for backup.   
  
  
Detective Reed was lounging in his chair, phone in hand and feet up on his desk. Why he had stayed for overtime was a mystery to Connor. Nevertheless, the android took a moment to fix up his tie and run through a couple of opening dialogue lines in his head. He got up from his seat and calmly approached his workmate. Connor scanned the device in Gavin’s hand and the retro game he was playing on it.  
  
“I see you like playing Tetris, Detective Reed. I also find that game quite entertaining.” Connor said, somewhat awkwardly. “My high score is thirty-three million, two hundred thousand and seventeen. What is your high score, Detective?”   
  
“Fuck off, tin-can.” Gavin grunted, not taking his eyes off the device in his hand. Connor was silent for a moment as he reevaluated his next move. He supposed he expected that reaction. May as well get straight to the point.   
  
“I just came to apologize. I overstepped in your case and I see now that I upset you.” He said. Gavin immediately stopped what he was doing and evidently missed his next move. And then the next. And the next. The words _Game Over_ flashed up on his screen.   
  
“Overstep?” Reed’s shoulders tensed. He deliberately pressed his cell into his desk and kicked his feet off from their perch. The wheels on his chair squeaked violently as he stood up and barged straight into the android’s personal space. “You went over my fuckin’ head. Made me look like an idiot who can’t do his job right in front of everyone on scene. And now you have the fuckin’ nerve to apologize like that will suddenly make us friends? Do you wanna be friends, Connor? Is that what this is all about?”  
  
“That is my intention, yes. I would rather like us to get along. It will make our professional lives run a lot smoother.” Connor said with a positive smile.    
  
“Well I’m sorry to disappoint you, asshole. But I have no intention of ever becoming friends with a plastic prick like you.” He drove a fist directly into the android’s Thirium Pump Regulator, knowing it to be a weak spot. Temporarily stunned from a malfunctioning circuit, Connor grunted and fell to a knee.   
  
“R-Resorting to violence, Detective? I thought we were past this?” He uttered, hand pressed against his fritzing chest. This wasn’t fair. He wouldn’t have punched him if he were human.   
  
“Oh yeah? Like the time you knocked me out in the archive room?”  
  
“You were trying to shoot me.”   
  
“I wish I had fucking managed it. Then you wouldn’t be here now, ruining my fucking career.” Gavin spat, bringing his knee up straight into the robots jaw. With the android now knocked onto his back, Reed was on top of him within seconds, pinning him down.   
  
“You seem to have a lot of anger, Detective. If punching me will make you feel better, I won’t stop you.” Connor said, looking up at Gavin’s hostile expression. Every instinct told him to fight back. He could easily over power the other detective if he wanted to. But that would get him nowhere. He had to lead a good example, just like Markus. Even if this would be self-defense, any act of violence could be met with a negative reaction. Something that the androids didn’t need when they were only just finding their footing in this world. No. He had to endure this.   
  
“Punch you? Oh no, I’ve got a much better idea.” Gavin smirked. Android’s didn’t feel pain. Beating the shit outta him wouldn’t be worth the bruised knuckles. Connor barely had chance to frown as Reed dug his fingers into his optic units and began to tug.   
  
“W-What are you doing, Detective?” Connor grabbed at Gavin’s wrists in desperate attempt to pull him away. Wires disconnected and his vision glitched around the edges. “Reed, stop. _Please_.”   
     
              
               _Error: Optical Unit’s faulty.  
  
               Please reconnect wires.  
  
  
_There was a click. And then there was nothing. No darkness. No black veil. Just an absence.   
  
  
               _Error: No Optical Units detected.  
  
  
_ Connor felt the weight leave him as Gavin got off of him. He sat up, fingers immediately shooting to his face, to where two holes now were. So, this was what blindness felt like? Like the whole world just vanished without a trace of light. He didn’t like it. Not at all. He suddenly became hyperaware of the Thirium in his system pumping too fast. And the tremble in his fingers. All power that was once designated towards visual stimulus was now redirected to his Audio Processors. Connor could hear _everything._ The tap in the break room dripping. The hum from one of the lights that was faulty. The wind howling from a small crack in a window. And Gavin. The man who was now sniggering.   
  
“Shall we see how good of a detective you are without your fuckin’ eyes?” Reed said. Connor heard the sound of something metallic being picked up and looked towards the noise. Gavin grabbed one of his wrists and snapped something shut around it. _Handcuffs_?   
  
“Detective Reed, I…I implore you to reconsider whatever it is you’re thinking of doing.” Connor carefully said, managing to mask his fear. Gavin ignored him and snapped the other cuff closed, binding his hands together. He was then yanked to his feet by his elbow.   
  
“Walk.” Reed commanded, shunting the android forward by the arm.   
  
“Alright…”   
  
  
They left the station through the rear entrance. Where the onsite parking lot was located. Connor knew the layout well enough. He knew that Gavin was leading him straight towards his own car, three spaces down from Hank’s. What he didn’t expect, was to be unceremoniously thrown into its boot. It was a cramped fit. Something was digging into him from every angle. Connor felt the engine fire up, sending uncomfortable vibrations throughout his entire system. Soon they were driving. The chains on his cuffs rattled with every speed bump they crossed over as Connor tried to map out where they were going in his head. It was surprisingly difficult to concentrate. All he could think about was how deafening everything felt. He was trapped. Alone. Vulnerable. And _blind._   
  
  
The car eventually came to a screeching halt, a sound that made Connor flinch. He heard Gavin get out of the driver’s seat and head towards him. He tore open the boot and grabbed the android by his arm, yanking him out. Connor stumbled and instantly fell to his knees. The ground was hard, but not solid.    
  
“Where are we, Detective Reed?” Connor asked. He felt dirt beneath his fingers.   
  
“I thought you could try and work that out for yourself, asshole.” Gavin retorted with a bitter laugh. “Have fun.” _  
_  
“Reed–”  
  
But Gavin had already slammed his car door shut. He then drove off, leaving Connor alone in an unknown location. The android knew they must have been within 8-mile radius, given the average speed and time they’d spent on the road, but that was still a huge area to consider.   
  
“Shit.” He eventually muttered. He needed to formulate a plan. To narrow down where he was. He needed to call Hank. Yes. Hank. He needed to call him. That was a good start. He checked for a signal. 35% strength. It was enough. The android accessed his communications program and dialed Hank’s cell number, hoping that the thing was still on. The Lieutenant had a habit of turning off his phone when he was off duty – that way he could feign ignorance and not be called in for any extra jobs. Unless it was important, (then the station would call Connor directly) the excuse tended to work. Luckily for Connor right now though, the man answered on the fifth ring.   
  
“Who the fuck’s this?” Hank said. Connor felt himself relax at the sound of his partners familiar voice, even if it was a little choppy.   
  
“It’s me, Connor.”   
  
“Why the fuck is your caller ID a bunch of numbers?”  
  
“It’s my serial number.”   
  
“Are you calling me without a phone?”  
  
“Yes, Lieutenant. I’m afraid I might be a little late.”  
  
“How late?”   
  
“I’m not sure. I don’t know where I am.” Connor’s voice shook a little. Hank must have noticed because his tone immediately changed.   
  
“What do you mean you don’t know where you are? Are you alright? Connor?”  
  
“I had a rather hostile encounter with Detective Reed that involved him shoving me in the boot of his car and abandoning me in an unidentified location.”  
  
“What? Are you fucking kidding me? That fucking asshole. I swear I’m going to kill him.” Connor heard Hank kick something on the other end of the phone. Probably his coffee table. “Alright, I’m coming to find you. Are there any identifying features around that you can give me?”  
  
“There’s another problem.”  
  
“And that is?”  
  
“I currently have no visual capability. Reed stole my optical units.” Connor said. Hank was silent on the other side of the phone for countable seconds, Connor imagined the man had pinched the bridge of his nose in attempt to stifle his rage and collect himself.   
  
“Ok. Can you tell me what you can hear? Or smell? Or literally anything?”  
  
“I’ll see what I can do.” Connor replied. He told Hank about the radius and the dirt, knowing that that wasn’t much to go on. Then he stood up and tuned in his other functions. He hadn’t realized how much he had relied on his sense of sight for everything, including his mind palace. Now that he didn’t have it, he felt incomplete, helpless. “I can hear construction work. Maybe cranes?”  
  
“Alright that narrows it down a little, keep going.”  
  
Connor took a tentative step forward onto semi-uneven ground. Then another. And another. He held his hands out but didn’t come into contact with anything even after a good twenty meters.   
  
“I think I’m in some kind of open space, and I believe I can smell burnt plastic. Or at least the remnants of it. The scent is pretty faded.”   
  
“Ok. I’m getting some ideas.”  
  
Connor tripped as something tangled around one of his ankles. He fell onto his hands, cutting his fingers on something sharp sticking out from the ground. A piece of metal. He reached down and felt what was corded around the base of his leg. Wiring. But not just any kind of wiring.   
  
“I think I know where I am, Lieutenant.” Connor said. There was only one place within range that would have bits like this still lying around.   
  
“And where is that?”   
  
“The old android scrapyard.”   
  
“Fuck. I’m on my way.”

  
It made sense. Gavin was into cruel jokes. Even though the yard was no longer in use, many androids corpses were dumped here. Some were even still alive, left to rot. After the new laws, the site was cleared, all those androids that were still salvageable were repaired and given another shot at life. Those too broken to continue, were sent in for recycling so whatever could be salvaged from them could be given to other androids – like human organ donating. But this place was still a graveyard. Many of his kind died here, a thought that now made him feel woeful. They were alive, just like him. Maybe they never realized it, but they were. He was sure buried under the earth he’d find the occasional disembodied limb or biocomponent, a reminder of what humans thought of them, not so long ago.   
  
“Are you alright, Connor?” Hank asked. The android heard the sound of a key turning and then an engine purring from the other side of the phone. Hank was in his car. He was on his way.   
  
“I’m okay. I just…do you mind keeping your phone on?” Connor didn’t want to be alone here. He didn’t want to imagine what it must have been like, to be discarded like garbage.   
  
“Sure. I’ll put you on speaker.”   
  
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Connor sat himself down and rested his hands on his knees. “I’ll just wait right here.”   
  
“Is there anything you wanna talk about?” Hank said after a few moments of awkward silence.  
  
“Well it’s started to rain.” The android said, feeling cold droplets of water splash against his face. The deluge was like a thunderous drumbeat, thrashing against the ground. It was cacophonic. Connor wanted to turn his audio processors off, but the thought of being in total silence as well was terrifying. “Have you eaten yet, Lieutenant?”  
  
“I was waiting for you, remember?” Hank said, before swearing at what Connor presumed, was a red light.    
  
“Of course. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t apologize you fuckin’ idiot. This isn’t your fault.”  
  
“If I hadn’t gone and tried to talk with Detective Reed, then none of this would have happened. I seriously misjudged the condition of our relationship. I thought that maybe it could be improved upon.” The android plucked out his coin from his pocket and began rolling it across his knuckles. It was familiar, calming.   
  
“Connor, I know you have an automated compulsion in your social relations program to try and fit in or whatever, but Gavin is an asshole, there’s no fixing that. You gotta learn that some people are just better avoided. Especially ones that will do something this fucking shitty.”  
  
“You’re right, Lieutenant. I suppose even I can’t adapt to all kinds of human unpredictability. Like with everything, there is always a limit.”   
  
“Yeah, so just avoid the fucker from now on, alright?”   
  
“It will be difficult when we work is such close proximity, but I’ll try.”  
  
“Good. I’m almost there.”  
  


* * *

  
Hank pulled up to the abandoned junkyard and headed in through the metal gates. The car journey had given him plenty of time to cool off. He was livid. Rescuing Connor wasn’t how he thought he was going to spend his night – not that he blamed the android. No. This was all on that prick, Gavin. He was a fucking bully. Connor couldn’t help being an easy target. He was different, naïve, still learning about social situations. Software only took him so far. Sometimes Hank just wished the dumb piece of plastic would stand up for himself again, clock the douchebag in the nose, break some cartilage. Anything. But Connor seemed dead set on having a perfect record, avoiding all kinds of confrontation like he was worried he’d get fired, or set a bad example for other androids. He supposed he could understand that. Connor was probably under a lot of pressure. He was, after all, one of the faces of the revolution. An android that other androids looked up to, and all humans were watching.    
  
“Connor!?” Hank called out, trying to see past this blasted rain.   
  
“I’m here, Detective.”   
  
He followed the sound of the android’s voice and eventually found him. He was sat cross-legged on the sodden ground, LED flashing a constant yellow. He was completely drenched. And wearing fucking handcuffs, like this whole charade wasn’t already enough. He’d have to wait till they were home to find a spare set of keys that’ll unlock them.   
  
“It’s a good job you can’t catch a cold.” Hank said. Connor turned to look at him. The view of his face stunned the Lieutenant. It was almost creepy. The synthetic skin around the stolen units had been deactivated, like a bruise around an injury. And where his eyes should have been, were two empty black holes, lit only be a few small yellow lights.   
  
“It’s good to hear your voice properly, Lieutenant.” Connor said, managing a smile.  
  
“Come here, you fucking idiot.” Hank knelt down beside the ridiculous android and pulled him into a crushing hug. He would never not come running for this stupid robot. “Now let’s get you outta this fucking place.”  
  
  
He helped Connor to his feet and guided him back towards his vehicle. The android almost tripped a couple of times, but luckily Hank had a good hold on him.   
  
“Are you alright getting in the car? You’re not gonna bang your head or anything, are you?” Hank half joked, opening the passenger door. Connor hadn’t realized how creaky it sounded before.   
  
“I have the measurements of your car saved to memory, I’ll be fine.” He replied, smoothly getting inside. At least it was dry. Hank fired up the engine, triggering the stereo-system. Heavy metal blasted out from the car’s speakers, making the android jump. The Lieutenant immediately turned the music down, till it was just a faint hum in the background.   
  
“Do you know what Reed did with your eyes?” That was one question Hank never thought he’d ever ask.   
  
“No.”  
  
“I don’t know where the fucker lives.” Hank said. It was probably for the best, if he saw the man right now, he’d most certainly knock his fucking lights out. Hank had been on his best behavior recently and didn’t particularly feel like getting arrested for assault.   
  
“It’s alright. I just want to go home.” Connor said. They’d see Gavin at work tomorrow. He’d have no choice but to give him back his optical units, or else risk a serious disciplinary issue – something which he knew Gavin wouldn’t do. His career was too important to him.   
  
It was a fairly long drive home. One that Connor had spent on edge, flinching at every sudden loud noise. Hank had tried to keep the android distracted by going over some old casefiles. It was a relief for them both when he finally pulled up into his driveway.   
   
  
“Hey, Sumo.” Connor held out his hand as he entered the house and let the dog brush his head against his palm. It was a familiar sensation, one that the android had become quite fond of. Now especially.   
  
“Do you need any help getting to the living room? Or have you got that saved to memory as well?” Hank asked, hanging his jacket up on the rack.   
  
“I can manage. I have a three-dimensional blueprint saved to my databases of your entire house. I know where everything is down to the nearest millimeter.” Connor replied. He then proceeded to trip over a dog toy. Hank snorted.    
  
“As long as it hasn’t moved.” He then added.    
  
“Fancy.” The Lieutenant commented, watching Connor confidently walk the rest of the way towards the sofa without bumping into anything. He sat down with his back ruler straight and hands on his lap, like he usually did. Sometimes it was really easy to spot that he was an android. “I’m gonna find you a key for those handcuffs.”  
  
  
Hank had to rummage around in his bedroom drawers for a good few minutes to finally locate the small set of keys. It was a good job the locks were universal.  
  
“Give me your wrists,” Hank said, crouching down in front of the seated android. Connor did as he was told and held them out. The Lieutenant noticed his damaged fingers as he removed the cuffs. “You seem to have cut yourself pretty badly there. You’re still bleeding a little.”  
  
“Oh.” Connor replied, having forgotten. It wasn’t like he could feel pain. “I’m not sure I can self-repair properly at the moment. My systems are overwhelmed.”   
  
“I’ll get you some band-aids.” Hank half sighed. He chucked the handcuffs onto the coffee table and left to go to the bathroom where he kept a small first aid box. It hadn’t been used in a while. The only band-aids he had were ones with cartoon characters printed on. For Cole. Hank shook away the creeping grief before it could engulf him and returned to the lounge.   
  
“Lemme see your fingers,” he said, one again crouching down. Connor gave the man his injured hand and let Hank carefully wrap up the cuts. Hank couldn’t stop himself from feeling somewhat nostalgic. He had missed doing stuff like this. “All done.”   
  
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”   
  
“Now if it’s alright with you, I’m gonna get me some grub, I’m fuckin’ starving.”  
  
“You’re not going to order pizza, are you?”  
  
“No, I was just gonna make myself a sandwich.” Hank replied. The android had been through enough stress today, without the added bonus of fretting over the number of calories he was consuming. Connor seemed to really take that to heart.   
  
“Oh. Ok. Do you want me to make one for you?”  
  
“No offense Connor, but I’m not sure I trust you with a sharp object right now.”  
  
“I am still perfectly capable of completing basic tasks, Lieutenant. My motor functions are working impeccably.” The android argued. Making Hank dinner was his duty, he’d been doing it for months now. He didn’t like not being able to complete a task, it went against his core programming.  
  
“I’m sure they are, kid. But still, the answer’s no.” Hank repeated. “Anyway, I can make my own damn sandwich. I’m fifty-fucking-three.”   
  
“Then is there anything else you would like me to do?” The android cocked his head to the side. Yupp. He still looked pretty damn creepy.   
  
“Yeah. You can sit there, shut up, and watch – err – I mean listen to some TV.” The Lieutenant said. He instructed the device to turn on and then headed towards his kitchen. He wasn’t sure what kind of sandwich he was in the mood for, so he just dumped a little bit of everything between two slices of brown (better source of fiber – according to the android) bread. Then he headed back into the living room. Sumo had already taken up spot next to Connor, using his lap as a pillow. Nothing unusual there.  
  
“What kind of sandwich did you make?” The android asked, excessively fiddling with the base of his tie. “I detect a lot of strange components.”  
  
“You don’t wanna know. And to be honest, I’m not even sure.” The Lieutenant took a bite. It tasted… _intriguing_. He decided he was going to eat it regardless. Because for one, he was hungry, two, they didn’t waste in this household, and three, he put effort into making it, so he was going to bloody well finish it.   
  
  
The pair then watched TV for a while, some old comedy that Hank appreciated and Connor of course, didn’t understand. Humour was often lost on the android. But that didn’t stop him from asking questions after every damn joke. Hank usually would have told him to shut up, after about the third inquiry, but he figured that right now that would have been a bit cruel, even for him. Especially since the android seemed to calm his fidgeting every time Hank spoke. The man had to give him credit, the stupid robot was holding himself together better than he probably actually felt. Must have been pretty scary, not being able to see.   
  
The Lieutenant stayed up for as long as he could physically manage to keep Connor company, but even he had to go bed at some point. He wasn’t in his twenties anymore, pulling an all-nighter was just out of the question.   
  
“Alright it’s gone two in the morning, I’m calling it a night.” He eventually said. The brightness from the TV had long since started to strain his eyes. If he pushed it any longer he was going to end up with one killer headache.   
  
“Do you mind if I keep the television on? I find music a little too intense right now and, well…I don’t like the idea of sitting in silence.”  
  
“Sure thing, kid. Just don’t keep the neighbours up.” Hank said, gently ruffling the android’s hair. It wasn’t like he was going to hear it anyways. He knew as soon as his head hit the pillow he was going to be out like a light.   
  
“Goodnight, Hank.”   
  
“Yeah, night.”   
  


* * *

  
Hank slammed his hand down on his alarm, cutting off in the incessant noise. With a groan he then rolled onto his back and began to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He would never get used to getting up early, that was for sure. He dragged himself out of bed and towards the bathroom, to take care of his morning business. After that he got dressed and headed into the living room. Connor was still listening to the television; a documentary about marine life. Of course.   
  
“Learnt anything new?” Hank asked, as he poured himself a coffee.   
  
“Did you know that octopus have three hearts? And that the colour of their blood is blue? Just like androids.” Connor said, enthused.   
  
“You really do like your fish, don’t you?”   
  
“Aquatic creatures are fascinating, Lieutenant.”   
  
“If you say so.” Hank replied. He made a mental note to check out some aquariums. It was still a few months away, but perhaps he could take the android to one for his birthday – or whatever they called it.   
  
“I’ll just go feed my fish, before we leave.” Connor announced. He reluctantly pushed Sumo’s head off his lap and made his way towards his bedroom smoothly, as if he could actually see where he was going. Hank had to hand it to him, that 3D blueprint or whatever must have been pretty good.   
              

* * *

  
“Do you have anything I can wear, to cover my face?” Connor asked as they pulled up into the station’s carpark. He didn’t feel like flaunting the fact that he was missing vital biocomponents. It didn’t need to turn into a bigger mess than it already was by getting everyone else on staff involved.   
  
“You mean like a pair of sunglasses?” Hank suggested.   
  
“That will suffice, yes.”  
  
“Yeah I got a pair in the glove compartment.” The Lieutenant opened up the small drawer and routed around for a moment. There was a lot of shit in there he should probably clear out. He didn’t exactly need to hoard empty burger wrappers or expired mints. And god knows how long that piece of gum had been in there. He eventually located he smooth metal rims of his aviators and pulled the item out. They were a bit dusty, but he doubted that was going to be an issue right now. “Here ya go.”  He pressed them into Connor’s open palms. The android then slipped them on.   
  
“How do I look?” Connor asked, cocking his head to the side.   
  
“You know something? They kinda suit you. Makes you look like a badass cop about to raid a drug den.” Hank said, chuckling. Maybe he’d buy the kid a pair, stave off some of that dorkiness about him. Hey, the could even get matching glasses and both look like badass cops about to raid a drug den. “Alright, you ready to head in?”  
  
“Affirmative. Let’s go raid a douche-den.” Connor grinned.   
  
“Look at you, all fucking confident.” Hank shook his head and exited the car, trying not to laugh at the android’s bad joke. “Do you need any help getting to the office?”  
  
“I can manage.”   
  
  
Connor successfully managed to not walk into anyone before they reached their destination. His enhanced hearing made it easier to detect people in the near vicinity and if he somehow came close, Hank would grunt, and Connor would know to move out of the way.   
  
“Oh, would you look at that, the plastic detective is trying to start a new fashion trend.” Gavin laughed, spotting the pair as they entered their workspace. Hank cursed under his breath and dug his fists into his pockets before he had the chance to use them. Reed swung his legs off his desk and approached with his usual swagger. “I see you managed to find your way out of the dump. I bet you called your daddy here to come rescue you, didn’t ya?”   
  
“Where are my optical units, Detective Reed?” Connor asked, keeping his tone civil.   
  
“I tend to check my desk drawers when I lose something, tin-can. Maybe you should check yours.” Gavin shrugged and headed into the breakroom. As Reed had said, Connor found his optical units inside his desk drawer.   
  
  
_Optical Units Located.  
  
               Visual Status: Operational.   
  
  
_ The office came back into view in an overwhelming array of light and colour. Connor took a moment to adjust as he returned to his default settings. It was good to be able to see again and access his mind palace. He looked down at his fingers and smiled at the cartoony band-aids. Maybe he’d leave them on a while longer.   
  
“So, are you going to file a report?” Hank asked, perched on Connor’s desk. Gavin’s behavior was unacceptable. He would back Connor up if he needed to.   
  
“No. I’ve got my optical units back and am therefore, undamaged. Reed has been on the Force for over ten years, the worst that’ll happen is that he’ll get a warning. I imagine that’ll only aggravate him and risk further potential of something like this happening again.” The android replied. The law was still in flux when it came to androids. Even if he was technically assaulted and kidnapped, the chance of actual prosecution was still pretty low if he decided to go over Fowlers head and press charges. Not to mention that if this got out, the whole DPD would be at risk. If the firm that held up the law was shown to have a racist workforce – it could cause chaos. Connor didn’t want that.   
  
“If you’re sure.”  
  
“I’m sure.”   
  
“Alright then.” Hank slid off the desk and headed towards the breakroom.  
  
“Where are you going, Lieutenant?”  
  
“To get myself a coffee.” He replied. And to give Reed a piece of his fucking mind. Hank sure as hell wasn’t going to sit back and let the prick get away with it all. If Connor wasn’t going to do something about it, then he fucking was.   
  
“Well if it isn’t the android’s owner, Lieutenant Alcoholic. Come to threaten me?”  
  
“Alright, listen here you little shit.” Hank spat, slamming his hands down on the small table that Gavin was currently sat at. “You may think you’ve gotten away with your little fuckin’ prank but I swear if you touch Connor again, I will shoot you in your fuckin’ kneecaps. Are we absolutely clear?”  
  
“Oh come on Hank, we both know you wouldn’t risk your job like that. As much as you half-ass it, I know how much it means to you.” Gavin snorted, playing with the rim of his paper cup.   
  
“It’s true I do love my job. But do you know what I care about more?” Hank paused and looked Gavin straight in the eyes, ready to drop the bombshell that would wipe that ridiculous smirk of the pricks face. “That android.”   
  
As expected the shit-eating grin fell from Reeds expression and was replaced by something akin to disbelief and shock. Once he was sure that the asshole had gotten the message, Hank turned around and headed back into the main office. It felt good to finally put the man in his place. Enjoying the small rush of adrenaline, the Lieutenant collapsed into his seat at his desk.  
  
“You appear to have forgotten your coffee, Lieutenant.” Connor stated.   
  
“Oh, so I did.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this angst-fest!


End file.
